Method of making a comb

ABSTRACT

A method of making a hair comb includes swaging a plurality of rodlike members composed of metal to form the end portions into conically shaped head portions and to form the opposite end portions into gently curved blunt end portions to shape the members into teeth, slipping individually the thus formed teeth through a recess in the back portion of a support frame and into corresponding closely-spaced holes extending therethrough, and securing a closure member in place over the mouth of the recess to retain the conical head portions of the teeth in a V-shaped groove in the closure member and thus to mount rotatably the teeth in the frame.

O Unlted States Patent 11 1 1111 3,855,689

Schiffman Dec. 24, 1974 METHOD OF MAKING A COMB Primary ExaminerRichard J. Herbst Assistant ExaminerVictor A. DiPalma [76] Inventor: Jerome D. Schtffman 116 Woodbine, Wilmette: I. 6009] Attorney, Agent, or F1rmBernard L. Klelnke;

Leonard J. Kal1nowsk1 [22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 430,007 57 ABSTRACT A method of making a hair comb includes swaging a [52] US. Cl 29/433, 29/434, 29/453, plurality of rodlike members composed of meta] to 132/1511 132/1521 132/163 form the end portions into conically shaped head por- CL i ti d t f th pp it d p ti i t g tly [58] F'eld of Search 29/433 453; 132/1511 curved blunt end portions to shape the members into 132/152 1551 163, 159 teeth, slipping individually the thus formed teeth through a recess in the back portion of a support [56] References C'ted frame and into corresponding closely-spaced holes ex- UNITED STATES PATENTS tending therethrough, and securing a closure member 1,330,675 2/1920 Besson 132 151 in place Over the mouth of the recess to retain the 1,482,242 1/1924 Michaud 132/152 conical head portions of the teeth in a V-shaped 1,738,732 12/1929 Saxton 132/159 X groove in the closure member and thus to mount ro- 2,546,541 3/1951 Hunt 132/151 X tatably the teeth in the frame 2,808,062 lO/l957 Schiffman l32/l5l 10 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures METHOD OF MAKING A COMB The present invention relates to a method of making a hair comb, and more particularly relates to the method of making a hair comb which has teeth individually and freely rotatable about their axes.

While combs having rotatable teeth have many desirable features, such as a self-cleaning action which occurs during use as described in US. Pat. No. 2,808,062, combs of this type of construction were necessarily manufactured of plastic material to make them sufficiently inexpensive to compete economically with combs having fixed teeth. Such plastic combs were not entirely satisfactory in that the plastic teeth would break and come loose from their sockets. Moreover, due to the plastic molding techniques employed in manufacturing the plastic teeth, parting lines and burrs thereon caused the teeth to bind in their sockets, whereby the teeth were not entirely free to rotate and thus the desired effects were not adequately achieved. Therefore, 'it would be highly desirable to provide a hair comb having teeth which are individually freely rotatable about their axes, and which are composed of a sturdy rigid material, such as metal, for durability and structurally sound purposes without making such a comb unduly and prohibitively expensive to manufacture to cause the selling price of such a comb to become undesirably excessive. Additionally, such a hair comb should have teeth which are freely rotatable about their axes with little or no binding.

Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method of making a hair comb having teeth which are individually freely rotatable about their axes, and which are constructed of durable material, such as metal, in a relatively inexpensive and efficient manner.

Briefly, the above and further objects are realized in accordance with the present invention by providing a method of making a hair comb which method includes awaging a plurality of rodlike metal members being circular in cross section to form the back end portions of said rodlike members into conically shaped head portions and to form the front end portions into gently curved blunt end portions to shape the members into teeth, slipping individually the thus formed teeth through a recess in the back of a support frame and into corresponding closely-spaced holes extending through the support frames until the head portions engage the forward wall defining the recess, and securing a closure member in place over the mouth of the recess with the head portion of the teeth being seated rotatably in a V- shaped groove in the closure member and being retained between the closure member and the frame. With such a method, the teeth may be formed in a relatively inexpensive and efficient manner, and the teeth are made without any burrs or parting lines to inhibit the free rotation of the teeth about their axes. Moreover, such teeth are made of metal which, of course, is a sturdy durable material.

These and further objects of the present invention will be understood more fully and completely from the following detailed description when considered with reference to the company drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a hair comb which is constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the hair comb of FIG. 1 taken substantially along the lines 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the hair comb of FIG. 1 taken substantially along the line 33 thereof;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary detailed view of a corner portion of the support frame with the closure member removed; and

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate the progressive stages in the making of the teeth for the comb of FIG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a hair comb 10 which is constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. The hair comb 10 generally comprises a two-part elongated frame 12 composed of plastic material and having a series of closely spaced axially rotatable metal teeth 18 positioned between the fixed teeth 23 and 25 within a common plane therewith. As best seen in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the teeth 18 are disposed within a series of holes 20 extending through an elongated portion or back portion 21 having a pair of integral fixed teeth 23 and 25 at the opposite ends thereof and forming one part of a recess 27 (FIGS. 2 and 3) which receives conical head portion 29 of the teeth 18. A V-shaped groove 31 in a T-shaped elongated closure and teeth retaining member forming the second part of the frame 12 receives and retains the conical head portions 29 between the closure member 21 and a bottom wall 33 of the frame 12. The closure member 28 serves to close over the mouth of the recess 27 in a removable manner so as to permit access to the recess 27 for the replacing or repairing of the teeth 13. The closure member 28 conforms smoothly to the external contour of the back portion 21 to provide a flush exterior aspect, thereby achieving an aesthetically pleasing appearance. As shown in FIG. 5, 6 and 7, the teeth 18 are formed of metal material according to a swaging process as hereinafter described in greater detail.

Considering now the back portion 21 of the frame 12 in greater detail, the back portion 21 is tapered slightly toward the teeth as shown in FIG. 2 for aesthetic appearance purposes. The fixed teeth 23 and 25 are of conventional design, and if desired, they need not be employed in that the rotatable teeth 18 may extend the entire length of the back portion of 21. The groove or recess 27 in the back portion 21 extends the entire length thereof and has, as best seen in FIG. 3, enlarged portions 35 and 37 within the respective fixed teeth 23 and 25, the enlarged portions 35 and 37 being complementary shaped relative to a pair of depending fingers 40 and 42, respectively, for receiving them snugly therewithin as shown in FIG. 3.

Stiffening ribs, such as ribs 44 and 46, extend in the same direction as the direction of the teeth 18 on both sides of the back portion 21 (the stiffening ribs on the opposite side of the back portion and the intermediate stiffening rib not being shown in the drawing for illustration pusposes) serve also to wedge snugly the back portion 21 securely within the recess 27 to attach removably the closure member 28 to the back portion 21. In order to further aid in securing releasably the closure member 28 to the back portion 21 at opposite ends of the member 28 pairs of smooth rounded projections or nodules extend from opposite sides thereof, such as the projections 48 and 51 at the left-hand portion of the closure member 28 as shown in FIG. 2 and such as the projection 53 on the side wall of the closure member 28 at the opposite end thereof as shown in FIG. 3, the projection extending from the side of the closure member 28 opposite the projection 53 not being shown in the drawings. Two pairs of oppositely-disposed smooth rounded projection or nodules, such as the projections 55 and 57, extending from the opposite walls defining the recess 27 slidingly inter-engage with the projections extending from the closure member 28 as shown in FIG. 2. An over-hang lip portion 59 extends slightly beyond the end of the back portion 21 as shown in FIG. 3 to enable a fingernail of the user to slip thereunder for prying loose the closure member 28 for removing it from the back portion 21.

Considering the teeth 18 in greater detail with reference to the drawings, each tooth 18 comprises a slender elongated member terminating in a rounded tip end portion 62 as best seen in FIG. 7. The head portion 29 is generally conical in shape with a flattened tip portion 64, it being understood that the head 29 may be of any shape which would readily be complementarily received in the V-shaped groove 31 of the closure member 28. The tooth 18 includes a cylindrical portion 66 which is integral with the head portion 29 at one of its ends and which is integrally joined to a reduced diameter portion 68 terminating in the blunt rounded end portion 62. The overall effective or widest diameter of the conical head portion 29 is slightly greater than the diameter of the shank portion 66 to retain the tooth 18 within the recess 27, the overall effective or widest diameter of the head 29 being greater than the diameter of the hole 20.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6 and 7, there is shown the progressive steps of forming a typical tooth 18. In order to manufacture the teeth 18, a number of metallic strips are cut from a metallic ribbon (not shown) the length of each one of the strips being slightly less than the length of the tooth to be formed therefrom. Each strip, such as the strip 71 of FIG. 5, is then rolled transversely in the direction of the arrows to form a tube, such as the tube 73 of FIG. 6, by suitable dies (not shown). Thereafter, the tubes are then forced into a series of swaging die cavities (not shown), each cavity being progressively deeper than the next cavity to eventually form the tooth as shown in FIG. 7, the swaging dies being of a contour similar to that of the final outer contour of a tooth.

While the present invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment thereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications of this invention may b made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope thereof. Accordingly, the appended claims are intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making a hair comb, comprising:

providing an elongated support frame having a recess in the back portion thereof with a mouth opening therein and with a forward wall opposite thereto and having a series of spaced apart holes extending therethrough and opening into said recess and through said forward wall;

providing an elongated closure member adapted to close over said recess and having an elongated V- shaped groove in the front edge thereof;

cutting along thin member composed of metal material into a plurality of shorter similar members to provide a plurality of rodlike members being circular in cross-section;

swaging said rodlike members to form the back end portions of said rodlike members into conically shaped head portions and to form the front end portions into gently curved blunt end portions to shape said members into teeth;

slipping individually the thus formed teeth through said recess and into corresponding ones of said holes until said head portions engage said forward wall; and

securing said closure member in place over said mouth with said head portions being seated in said V-shaped groove and being retained between said closure member and said frame.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said swaging said rodlike members includes forming them into a cylindrical portion joined integrally at one end to said head portion and at its opposite end to a reduced diameter portion terminating in its blunt end portion 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said long thin member is a ribbon composed of metal meterial, said shorter similar members being short strips, rolling said strips transversely to form said rodlike members into the form of tubes.

4. A method according to claim 3, further including forming said closure member in a generally elongated T-shape to fit snugly and removably within said recess.

5. A method according to claim 4, further including forming said closure member with smooth rounded projections extending therefrom to engage said frame to releasably retain said closure member in said back portion of said frame.

6. A method according to claim 5, further including forming smooth rounded projections on said back portion of said frame to interengage with the closure member projections.

7. A method according to claim 5, further including an overhang portion of said closure member extending beyond said back portion to facilitate removal of said closure member from said back portion.

8. A method according to claim 1, further including forming said closure member with smooth rounded projections extending therefrom to engage said frame to releasably retain said closure member in said back portion of said frame.

9. A method according to claim 8, further including forming smooth rounded projections on said back portion of said frame to interengage with the closure member projections.

10. A method according to claim 9, further including an overhang portion of said closure member extending beyond said back portion to facilitate removal of said closure member from said back portion.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION December 2h, 197A Patent No. 5855689 Dated Inventor s Jerome D. Sohiffman It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 33, delete "15" and substitute therefore Signed and sealed this lst day Of April 1975.

(S TEXT") Pitt est:

C. I-LKRSHALL DANE Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks ilttesting, Officer USCOMM-DC 60376-P69 u,s. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE: a 93 F ORM PO-1 050 (10-69) 

1. A method of making a hair comb, comprising: providing an elongated support frame having a recess in the back portion thereof with a mouth opening therein and with a forward wall opposite thereto and having a series of spaced apart holes extending therethrough and opening into said recess and through said forward wall; providing an elongated closure member adapted to close over said recess and having an elongated V-shaped groove in the front edge thereof; cutting a long thin member composed of metal material into a plurality of shorter similar members to provide a plurality of rodlike members being circular in cross-section; swaging said rodlike members to form the back end portions of said rodlike members into conically shaped head portions and to form the front end portions into gently curved blunt end portions to shape said members into teeth; slipping individually the thus formed teeth through said recess and into corresponding ones of said holes until said head portions engage said forward wAll; and securing said closure member in place over said mouth with said head portions being seated in said V-shaped groove and being retained between said closure member and said frame.
 2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said swaging said rodlike members includes forming them into a cylindrical portion joined integrally at one end to said head portion and at its opposite end to a reduced diameter portion terminating in its blunt end portion.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein said long thin member is a ribbon composed of metal meterial, said shorter similar members being short strips, rolling said strips transversely to form said rodlike members into the form of tubes.
 4. A method according to claim 3, further including forming said closure member in a generally elongated T-shape to fit snugly and removably within said recess.
 5. A method according to claim 4, further including forming said closure member with smooth rounded projections extending therefrom to engage said frame to releasably retain said closure member in said back portion of said frame.
 6. A method according to claim 5, further including forming smooth rounded projections on said back portion of said frame to interengage with the closure member projections.
 7. A method according to claim 5, further including an overhang portion of said closure member extending beyond said back portion to facilitate removal of said closure member from said back portion.
 8. A method according to claim 1, further including forming said closure member with smooth rounded projections extending therefrom to engage said frame to releasably retain said closure member in said back portion of said frame.
 9. A method according to claim 8, further including forming smooth rounded projections on said back portion of said frame to interengage with the closure member projections.
 10. A method according to claim 9, further including an overhang portion of said closure member extending beyond said back portion to facilitate removal of said closure member from said back portion. 